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Strathmore Bristol 500 paper

" Created in 1893, this 100% cotton bristol is an industry standard "
Taken from the official website at: www.strathmoreartist.com
SURFACES: Medium (Vellum)              -                  Ultra-Smooth (Plate)               -               Slightly Textured (Semi-Smooth)


​MEDIA APPLICATIONS:
Plate surface: 
technical pen, pen & ink, marker, airbrush, mechanical pencils
Vellum surface: graphite pencil, coloured pencil, charcoal, sketching stick, pen & ink, marker, soft pastel, mixed media, oil
pastel, light wash and collage
Slightly textured surface: pen and ink, pencil, specialty pens and markers

​

GSM: ​2, 3 & 4 ply

ARCHIVAL: YES

ACID FREE:  YES

LIGHTFAST: YES

 costs: RRP From:  £6.25 - £25 (Single sheet)
   RRP From:  £20.00 - £43.75
 (Gummed pads)


Strathmore 500 bristol plate surface logo
Plate surface
Sizes/formats Available:
Single sheets
23" x 29"   2-ply
23" x 29"   3-ply 
23" x 29"   4-ply
30" x 40"    2-ply

30" x 40"    3-ply
30" x 40"    4-ply


Pads
Available sizes:
11" x 14"   2-ply      (15 sheets)
​14" x 17"  2-ply      (15 sheets)

​Colour Tones:
White
Strathmore 500 bristol vellum surface logo
Vellum surface
Magnified images of each paper allowing you to see the difference between each.

Plate Surface - Smooth

Strathmore bristol 500 plate surface magnified
Plate surface has an ultra-smooth finish that is unsurpassed for detailed work with technical pen, airbrush, mechanical pencils, pen & ink and marker.
​

Graphite pencil portrait completed on Bristol Plate paper
Bristol ultra smooth is ideal for graphite as it allows you to blend smoothly and as it is available in three weights with the thickest being 520gsm, it is ideal for artists who like to layer extensively.

Vellum surface - Textured

Strathmore bristol 500 Vellum surface magnified
Vellum surface has a toothy finish that is excellent for graphite pencil, coloured pencil, charcoal, sketching stick, pen & ink, marker, soft pastel and oil pastel as well as pen, airbrush, light wash and mixed media. 
Picture
Bristol Vellum is, in my opinion, the best choice out of the two for coloured pencil portraits. A paper with a tooth, helps grab pigment far better than a smooth paper. I also found that colours look more vibrant on this paper than the smooth option.
photo of the ply explanation in paper weight


​Weights of paper

​A 2-ply Bristol paper refers to two sheets of drawing paper that have been pasted together. A 3-ply refers to 3 sheets pasted together, and a 4-ply refers to 4 sheets pasted together. The more plies, the thicker the board will be. ​Our 500 Series Bristol paper is made from our 100% cotton 500 Series Drawing paper which has a weight of 106lb. (125gsm). Once the drawing paper is pasted together to form bristol sheets, we can determine approximate weights by doubling, tripling or quadrupling the weight of the drawing sheet depending on how many plies are pasted. These weights are approximate because there is glue used in the pasting process that will add a small amount of weight to the overall board.
  • 500 Series Bristol 2-ply ≈ 215 lb. (260 g/m2)
  • 500 Series Bristol 3-ply ≈ 325 lb. (390 g/m2)
  • 500 Series Bristol 4-ply ≈ 430 lb. (520 g/m2)

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Lee Hammond artist image and her lifelike portraits demonstration book
​"For graphite drawing I use smooth bristol. This comes in many brands, surfaces, and sizes. It can be found in pads and single sheets. I think I’ve tried them all ... for my high quality, professional work I use what I think is the Cadillac of bristol. It’s the 500 series, 4-ply (520gsm), 100% cotton, smooth bristol by Strathmore. It’s sold in large, single sheets. It’s a little pricey due to the cotton and the thickness, but it’s worth the cost. It produces a very smooth blend, and it won’t deteriorate or yellow with time"
Lee Hammond

Where can you buy the paper?

Buy at Artists papers (UK)
Input your postcode to search for a local store


For anyone looking to purchase this paper from the 'artists papers' website (direct link above), I note there has been no stock available via their website for quite a while and so contacted them today (20th January 2021) to ask if they were still selling this line and if so, when they would be getting stock back in.

I have attached the reply here, to save others from having to contact them.

​Karen
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  • Home
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